Miss Radiant Knight wondered just what her "Domain" would be like.
A certain assassin's Domain, for instance, originated from the skill [Pegasian Sight] in the game.
As a five-star operator in Arknights with only two skills, it's only natural that her Pegasian Sight would evolve into a Domain when made permanent, rather than being a simple enhancement skill.
But… the [Margaret Nearl] in the game is different!
First of all, Nearl in the original game is also a five-star operator—a heavy defender who specializes in protection, serving as a guardian.
After her alternate version is unlocked, she becomes The Radiant Knight wielding a sword-spear: [Nearl the Radiant Knight]!
With these two different forms combined, Nearl's skills and talents in the original game are simply too numerous.
So what would the [Domain] most suited for racing be like? Would it also evolve from a single skill?
Filled with curiosity and eager to understand her own Domain, Nearl's orange eyes shimmered with excitement.
The next moment, an unprecedented radiance burst forth from her golden figure—an overwhelming aura that instantly enveloped the entire vast racetrack.
Under that dazzling, sun-like majestic presence, every Uma Musume on the field was effortlessly suppressed!
[Domain]!!
Nearl would never slack off or hold back in a race, whether she had an assured victory or considered her opponents lacking.
For a Knight, showing seriousness when facing competitors is the respect they deserve.
In her previous race, she was up against debut opponents, and Nearl chose to first adapt to the feel of racing on dirt. Now that she was no longer unfamiliar with the surface, it was time to unleash her Domain.
If she didn't activate it now, wouldn't it be too rushed to use it for the first time against stronger opponents in the American Triple Crown?
Without hesitation, Nearl chose to deploy her Domain for the very first time!
[Domain: Night-Scouring Gleam]
[The most suitable Domain will be selected from three exclusive Domains. Current selection: Night-Scouring Gleam]
[Passive: When activating skills next, significantly boost momentum and suppression, moderately restore stamina consumption, greatly mitigate at least four suppression skills from opponents, and moderately enhance all aspects of skill effects]
Huh?
Three exclusive Domains? Selecting the most suitable one for the current situation?
And the Domain she was using now was… [Night-Scouring Gleam]?!
Even for a girl like Nearl, who charged forward like a Knight at the forefront, her striking orange eyes flickered with surprise as she felt the effects of her Domain.
Just looking at the effects, it was an astonishingly versatile Domain that enhanced everything across the board. It boosted momentum and suppression, refunded some stamina when using skills, and improved skill effects in all aspects.
And even… suppression skills from other Uma Musume could be greatly mitigated, like a shield in a game that could block four hits!
Truly all-rounded, excelling in both offense and defense!
The boost in momentum and suppression from Light-Shattering Night enveloped the entire vast racetrack in the next moment, like the brightest light piercing through the darkest night.
The instant her Domain activated, her golden figure became as swift as a thrown sword-spear. Her body erupted with explosive power, displaying tremendous force as she left everyone else far behind.
Nearl, already racing at high speed and leading by a super-large margin, accelerated visibly in the next instant, as if her previous pace hadn't been her limit at all—she could still push further!
Accelerate!!! Accelerate!!!
And again, accelerate!!!
Nearl's unrestrained strides grew faster and faster. The dirt beneath her feet continuously deformed under the force of her steps as she leaned forward, charging ahead.
From the perspective of the stunned audience, her posture looked less like running and more like…[Charging]!!
The Golden Maiden named Margaret Nearl was shattering every obstacle in her path with each step, racing down the track with a momentum that surpassed countless people's understanding!
Everyone around her, even the other Uma Musume with their own auras, froze in collective astonishment!
From the mid-pack runners who had already accelerated to the front-runners starting to push their pace, all widened their eyes, their breaths growing slightly rushed.
Those further back could feel it even more keenly—even with their own momentum, they were instantly suppressed!
No matter how hard these talented American Uma Musume tried, it was useless against that overwhelming, terrifying suppression that seemed capable of crushing everything.
Under that fearsome pressure, their acceleration was hindered, and they felt as if heavy shackles had been clamped onto them.
"Guh… such terrifying suppression!"
"Wait, isn't this the [Hopeful Stakes]? I almost thought I was running the American Triple Crown!"
"No way, how can an Uma Musume already have a Domain in her debut year? Am I dreaming?"
"Absolutely… it has to be the Great Escapee Pegasus Nearl. Only she could maintain such a terrifying pace! That absurd acceleration isn't any slower than my full-power final sprint, and this is only the third turn!"
"First Secretariat masters her Domain in her debut year, and now Nearl has one too? What the hell?!"
From the leading group to the mid-pack, voices filled with shock echoed everywhere.
Even the so-called prodigies of Europe and America usually only achieved and mastered their Domains during the classic Triple Crown period.
These Uma Musume, still far from reaching Domain-level prowess, were witnessing someone who, like Secretariat, could master a Domain in such a short time—and in a mere debut-year G1 race, no less!
How could the American fillies, already left far behind and struggling to maintain their fighting spirit, possibly keep their composure?
All nine Uma Musume nearly reached the peak of emotional turmoil.
That brilliantly shining Domain, [Night-Scouring Gleam], became the final straw that broke the camel's back, filling the hearts of these American Uma Musume with… near-simultaneous despair!
But!
As Uma Musume qualified to compete in a G1 race, they would never admit complete defeat.
"No, I can't… even if it's hard to catch up, I absolutely can't let the gap widen too much."
"I'm not like those rookies Nearl bullied in her debut race. I'm a strong contender worthy of challenging a G1!"
"Even if I lose, I'll become the dirt-track Daiwa Scarlet!!"
Some even recalled a certain Japanese Uma Musume.
Though many of them gritted their teeth and decided to stop holding back, unleashing their final kicks to prevent the gap from becoming insurmountable…
Yet, up ahead, that golden figure continued to pull further away!
Twenty-three lengths!
The Great Escapee Golden Pegasus! The golden-haired girl known as [The Radiant Knight], crowned by Platinum!
She was using a Great Escape style that, in theory, should have seen her lead shrink or even result in her being caught—yet she continued to leave those talented American girls behind.
Twenty-four lengths!
--+--
[Is this—The Radiant Knight said to rival the silver-white Pegasus Platinum and the Big Red Monster Secretariat?!!]
[Nearl has cleared the final turn and entered the homestretch first!]
[Never before have we seen such a domineering, destructive running style in the debut-year Hopeful Stakes. In only her second race since her debut, Nearl is charging toward her first G1 victory!]
As Nearl's feet touched the homestretch, the commentator's voice and the entire audience erupted into cheers.
After all, the Hopeful Stakes, even as a G1 race, is often seen by many as a battle of rookies!
This perception isn't entirely wrong.
These debut-year Uma Musume are usually a step behind their classic-year seniors and far from the peak veterans.
Even G2 races featuring veteran Uma Musume can sometimes be more competitive than the Hopeful Stakes in years without exceptional talents.
So, the Hopeful Stakes is universally known as… "The Least Prestigious G1" and the "Baby Cup."
Given its perceived value and level of competition, it's no wonder it's labeled as such.
But this year's Hopeful Stakes! has countless spectators exclaiming that their attendance was worth it!
"Baby Cup? No way—even veteran G1 racers might struggle here?!"
"It's not the Hopeful Stakes that's impressive—it's Nearl!!"
"This might be the most exciting Hopeful Stakes in the next decade!"
"If Nearl can maintain this form and grow even stronger, she'll definitely have a shot at catching up to Platinum and Secretariat!!"
"What an exhilarating Great Escape! The big screen doesn't even show the second-place Uma Musume. Is this the charm of front-running? Totally worth it—I'm a Nearl fan from now on!"
Amid the surprised and celebratory cheers of the audience, the front-running golden-haired girl showed no signs of strain or reaching her limit on her determined face.
The extreme style that should have drained every ounce of her energy seemed, for this Radiant Knight, not to require her all to gain an advantage.
And that was exactly the case.
As she confirmed she'd entered the homestretch with only a short distance left to the finish line, a fierce fighting spirit gleamed in young Nearl's refined and serious expression.
She was gradually getting used to the sensation of racing with her Domain activated!
In that case… it was time to activate a few more skills.
[Sun, Grant Me Your Nod: When the track is bathed in sunlight, slightly increase acceleration and explosive power, while continuously restoring a small amount of stamina.]
[Pegasus' Stride: When no other Uma Musume are nearby, slightly increase power and stride frequency, while moderately reducing stamina consumption and slightly boosting speed.]
The next moment, from the golden-haired girl's graceful yet resolute figure…
Her steps grew even more powerful. With each deep imprint in the dirt, her stride frequency and speed qualitatively surpassed what she'd shown before.
It was unmistakably… a final kick! And one unleashed under a front-running style everyone thought couldn't possibly support it!!
Twenty-five lengths!
Twenty-seven lengths!
Twenty-nine lengths!
The jaw-dropping gap… kept widening!!
The big screen and live broadcast quickly zoomed out to capture the action.
The zoom-out was rapid, and only when the Golden Pegasus reached the latter half of the homestretch did the second-place Uma Musume barely appear in the now-tiny frame.
The entire venue was in an uproar!
And the American fillies who had just entered the homestretch felt nearly suffocated by despair!
Every Uma Musume behind Nearl was stunned and bitter, never expecting their first G1 to feature such a monster!
'How… how is this possible? She doesn't look like she's reached her limit.'
'Wait, why can she still have a final kick while front-running?'
'Could it be that she's not really a front-runner—just so fast that it looks like she is?'
'It's over… I can't even replicate Daiwa Scarlet's legendary five-length victory!!'
As she raced at extreme speed, Nearl's majestic white racing robes fluttered dramatically.
Amid the countless cries of defeat, the upright Golden Knight charged toward the finish line just ahead.
She was—a swift, meteor-like knightly girl, dazzling even under the blazing sun!!
[Thirty-one lengths! Thirty-two lengths!]
[Come, let us witness the new generation overlord destined to dominate next year's classic races!]
[The Radiant Knight Nearl, with the commanding presence of a lone monarch, charges across the line with a running style akin to low-altitude flight!]
[That's… a super-large margin victory of thirty-three lengths, shattering the Hopeful Stakes record. The dirt-track Pegasus has arrived!]
The moment the Radiant Knight crossed the finish line under the sun, head held high…
The moment Nearl reached the point where the phantom of her thrown sword-spear had landed at the start!
The girls still behind her, along with the stunned Uma Musume in the audience, thought they saw something unbelievable.
It was—a genuine, Pure-White Pegasus flickering behind Nearl, raising its holy wings.
In an instant, the Pegasus vanished, its ethereal wings dissolving into particles that flowed into young Nearl's body.
This incredible scene, like something out of a legend, truly appeared before every Uma Musume on the field.
Though the audience didn't witness the thrown sword-spear, falling star, or winged Pegasus, they were still electrified.
After all, this was an absolute victory by a super-large margin of thirty-three lengths in a race as short as 1400 meters!
The massive venue erupted into thunderous cheers.
Many who had heard of Nearl's debut but were still skeptical were completely astounded.
Spectators?
No, most had now been completely converted into her fans!
After crossing the finish line and securing her overwhelming victory in the Hopeful Stakes, the golden-haired girl calmly came to a stop without any slowdown.
The Radiant Knight stood tall under the sun, poised on the earth!
In her refined and heroic demeanor, just like in her debut race, there was no sign of sweat.
These Uma Musume were good, but… not enough to make her break a sweat.
Serious as she was, Nearl hadn't used her full power. This was evident from her activating her Domain only in the latter half and using just two Domain skills during the homestretch.
The previous Pegasus, Platinum, could easily activate three or four Domain skills, sometimes even more.
And Radiant Knight Nearl was no frail filly who'd run out of stamina after just two Domain skills.
She activated her Domain and fought seriously because she was the Radiant Knight!
She used only two Domain skills and didn't go all out because she was a girl of the Nearl Family!
If her opponents were stronger, Nearl would respond with even greater seriousness and fighting spirit. She was already looking forward to the American Triple Crown!
At the same time, a thought occurred to her.
[Nearl the Radiant Knight] was already her alternate form.
What about [Alternate Platinum]?
'The current [me] already has three different Domains, switching based on the race conditions.'
'What about Platinum, who has completed her growth and unlocked her alternate form?'
'Just what improvements has she made, besides her height?'
And Platinum's race was just a few days away—the renowned European international G1, the [Eclipse Stakes]!
The alternate Platinum, after completing her growth, would face Europe's strongest in the Eclipse Stakes!
How far had the Silver Pegasus Platinum evolved, and what surprises would she bring to the world?
The whole world would be watching!
--+--
Not long ago.
At another training ground in America.
A tall, crimson-haired girl had just finished coaching a junior who admired her.
"Easy Goer, these are the areas you need to improve next…"
"If you can make progress here, you'll be a top contender for second place—or even first—in next year's American Triple Crown."
The red monster, Secretariat, had just given a lesson to her talented fan and junior, Easy Goer.
Beside her, a smaller, red-haired girl nodded vigorously, taking notes.
Then, the senior and junior pair started streaming a certain race on their phones.
When it was over—
After Margaret Nearl's thirty-three-length victory!
To Easy Goer's surprise, the usually gentle and elegant senior Secretariat curled her lips into a nearly crazed smile.
Her previous warmth vanished in an instant.
An overwhelming crimson aura, so terrifying it made Easy Goer gasp for breath, spread across the training ground and beyond, appearing alongside Secretariat's smile.
This was the true red monster, the strongest legend on dirt!
Senior Secretariat was… more interested in Nearl than in her?!
The imposing red monster girl began clapping the next second.
"Nearl, you really do remind me of Platinum."
"You little filly, you truly delight me!"
--+--
T/N: THREE DOMAINS?! Oh nah not even sukuna can do that
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
There should be... around 70+ advanced chapters?
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.